(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
The present invention relates generally to motion toys, and more particularly to an animated toy comprising a plurality of structural elements pivotally connected to each other in a manner defining a human body, and a reversible motor which is disposed externally of the body and cooperatively engaged to the structural elements thereof so as to be operative to cause portions of the body defined by the structural elements to alternatively tilt or sway in different directions.
There is currently known in the prior art a wide variety of animated or motion toys which employ the use of one or more motors and associated transmission gear trains to facilitate the movement of various parts of the toy. These animated toys include figurines which have the shape of a human body, with the motor(s) and gear train(s) thereof being operative to cause various parts of the body, such as the arms, legs and/or head, to move separately and/or in unison.
One such animated or motion toy currently known in the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,617 issued on Jun. 15, 1999 to Chou. The motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent differs from those known in the prior art by,among other things, the capability of the upper and lower parts of the body thereof to alternatively tilt inwardly and outwardly and reverse directions. To achieve this particular range of motion, the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent comprises a pair of waist cover shells, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to respective ones of a pair of shoulder cover shells, with the lower ends of the waist cover shells being pivotally connected to respective ones of a pair of foot cover shells. Also included in the motion toy is a pair of trunk cover shells which are connected to respective ones of the shoulder cover shells and a motor mount which is mounted within a cavity collectively defined by the waist, shoulder and trunk cover shells. A reversible motor is attached to the motor mount and disposed between the trunk cover shells, with the motor being mechanically coupled to the foot cover shells via a pair of main racks which are integrally formed on respective ones of the foot cover shells.
Though the body of the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent is configured in a manner wherein the upper and lower parts thereof alternatively tilt inwardly and outwardly in reverse directions, the motion toy is of a relatively large size due to the inclusion of the drive unit within the interior of the body (i.e., between the trunk cover shells). Due to this relatively large size, the motion toy is not well suited to being mounted to a decorative/ornamental item such as, for example, a holiday wreath. Due to the inclusion of the drive unit within the interior of the body, the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent is also not well suited to being used in an aqueous environment, such as within the interior of a decorative water ball. Additionally, the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent is devoid of any structures which provide for the movement of the arms and head of the toy which are attached to the shoulder cover shells thereof. As will be recognized, such movement of the arms and/or head would provide a more life-like, appealing appearance during the operation of the motion toy.
The present invention provides an animated or motion toy similar in structure and operation to that disclosed in the Chou patent, but significantly differing in that the drive unit or reversible motor of the present motion toy is external of the body as opposed to being disposed within the interior thereof. Making the drive unit external to the body allows for the manufacture of the motion toy of the present invention in a size substantially less than that of the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent, thus allowing for the mounting of the present motion toy to decorative/ornamental items such as a holiday wreath. With particular regard to a holiday wreath, the drive unit or motor of the present motion toy may be embedded within the wreath itself, with the body of the motion toy extending into the open interior thereof to provide a decorative holiday item wherein the ornamental attributes of the wreath are enhanced by the body (e.g., a Santa Claus).
Additionally, the motion toy of the present invention is preferably provided with an internal linkage arrangement which facilitates the alternating upward and downward movement of the arms attached to the shoulder member of the body thereof. This linkage arrangement also provides for the rotation of the head attached to the shoulder member in a back and forth motion. Moreover, due to the drive unit not being disposed therewithin, the body of the present motion toy may itself be disposed and operated within an aqueous environment. In this instance, the drive unit would not itself be disposed within such aqueous environment, but rather would cooperate with the body either through a mechanical linkage or magnets. These and other unique attributes of the present invention will be discussed in more detail below.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an animated toy comprising a toy body which itself comprises at least one shoulder member and a pair of waist members, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the shoulder member. The toy body also includes a pair of leg members, with the lower ends of the waist members being pivotally connected to the upper ends of respective ones of the leg members. In addition to the toy body, the animated toy of the present invention comprises a support base to which the lower ends of the leg members are pivotally connected. Also included in the animated toy is a drive unit which is disposed adjacent to the support base and includes a motor which is cooperatively engaged to at least one of the leg members and operative to reciprocally tilt the leg members in first and second directions. The toy body of the present animated toy is configured such that the tilting of the leg members in the first direction causes the waist members to be tilted in the second direction, with the tilting of the leg members in the second direction causing the waist members to be tilted in the first direction.
The toy body of the animated toy further preferably comprises a pair of arm members which are rotatably connected to the shoulder member and mechanically coupled to the upper ends of respective ones of the waist members, so as to be alternately movable in different directions thereby. More particularly, the arm members are mechanically coupled to the waist members such that the tilting of the waist members in the first and second directions causes the arm members to alternately move in different directions. To facilitate such coupling, each of the waist members preferably includes a waist rack portion which defines the upper end thereof. Additionally, each of the arm members preferably includes a pinion gear portion which protrudes therefrom and is cooperatively engaged to a respective one of the waist rack portions. The tilting of the waist members in the first and second directions causes the waist rack portions to act against the pinion gear portions in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the arm members in opposite directions.
The toy body of the present invention further comprises a head member which is rotatably connected to the shoulder member and mechanically coupled to the waist members such that the tilting of the waist members in the first and second directions causes the head member to alternately rotate in different directions. To facilitate such rotation, the toy body further preferably comprises an upper support strut which is pivotally connected to and extends between the waist members such that the tilting of the leg members in the first direction causes the upper support strut to be tilted in the second direction, and the tilting of the leg members in the second direction causes the upper support strut to be tilted in the first direction. The upper support strut includes a pair of cam levers protruding therefrom in spaced relation to each other. Additionally, the head member defines a central axis and includes a head pin protruding therefrom in radially offset relation to the central axis. The head pin extends between the cam levers such that the tilting of the upper support strut in the first and second directions causes the cam levers to act against the head pin in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the head member in opposite directions.
Also preferably included in the toy body of the present animated toy is a lower support strut which is pivotally connected to and extends between the upper ends of the leg members, and hence the lower ends of the waist members. The toy body further preferably comprises at least one trunk plate attached to the shoulder member, and more particularly a back trunk plate which is attached to the shoulder member and the lower support strut, and a front trunk plate which is attached to the shoulder member and the back trunk plate.
The toy body of the present animated toy defines opposite sides, with the leg member extending along one side of the toy body preferably being mechanically coupled to the waist member extending along the other side thereof. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, the lower end of one of the waist members includes a first tilt rack portion formed thereon or attached thereto, with the upper end of one of the leg members including a second tilt rack portion formed thereon or attached thereto which is cooperatively engaged to the first tilt rack portion, and more particularly directly intermeshed thereto. The drive unit of the animated toy of the first embodiment is preferably mechanically coupled to the leg member having the second tilt rack portion formed thereon. In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, the first and second tilt rack portions are not directly intermeshed with each other. Rather, the toy body further comprises a drive strut which is pivotally connected to and extends between the upper ends of the leg members, and hence the lower ends of the waist members. Rotatably connected to the direct strut is a pair of identically configured drive gears which are cooperatively engaged (i.e., directly intermeshed) to each other. The first and second tilt rack portions in the second embodiment are cooperatively engaged to respective ones of the drive gears. In accordance with a third embodiment of the present animated toy, the lower end of one of the waist members includes a drive slot formed therein, with the upper end of the one of the leg members including a drive pin protruding therefrom which is movably received into the drive slot. In the animated toy of the third embodiment, the drive unit is preferably mechanically coupled to a leg member having the drive pin protruding therefrom.
As indicated above, the drive unit of the present animated toy is cooperatively engaged to at least one of the leg members of the toy body. To facilitate such engagement, the lower end of one of the leg members preferably includes a main drive rack portion formed thereon or attached thereto. Additionally, the motor of the drive unit is preferably reversible, and includes a main drive gear mechanically coupled thereto which is cooperatively engaged to the main drive rack portion such that the rotation of the main drive gear in a first direction facilitates the tilting of the leg members in the first direction, with the rotation of the main drive gear in a second direction opposite the first direction facilitating the tilting of the leg members in the second direction. The main drive rack portion is preferably formed on the lower end of that leg member having the second tilt rack portion or pivot pin formed on the opposite, upper end thereof. In the present animated toy, the drive unit is preferably mounted to the support base, with the reversible motor being disposed within the support base and the lower end of the leg member having the main drive rack portion formed thereon extending into the support base. The support base itself is preferably formed to include a pair of foot portions thereon, with the lower ends of the leg members being pivotally connected to respective ones of the foot portions. It is contemplated that the above-described animated toy may be used in combination with a decorative annular wreath defining an open interior region, with the support base being mounted to the wreath such that the toy body extends into the interior region thereof.
The animated toy of the present invention may be alternatively configured for use in an aqueous environment. In this modified version of the present animated toy, the lower end of one of the leg members preferably includes at least one leg magnet attached thereto or disposed therein as an alternative to being formed to include the above-described main drive rack portion. The motor of the drive unit is mechanically coupled to at least one drive magnet of the drive unit in a manner wherein the motor is operative to reciprocally move the drive magnet in a first magnet path and a second magnet path opposite the first magnet path. The first and second magnet paths are preferably arcuate. The drive magnet magnetically cooperates with the leg magnet such that the movement of the drive magnet along the first magnet path facilitates the tilting of the leg members in the first direction, with the movement of the drive magnet along the second magnet path facilitating the tilting of the leg members in the second direction. This modified version of the present animated toy is preferably used in combination with a hollow enclosure (e.g., a spherically shaped water ball), with the support base and the toy body being partially disposed within the enclosure and the drive unit being disposed exteriorly of the enclosure. Though a portion of the support base separates the leg magnet from the drive magnet, they are disposed sufficiently close to each other such that the drive magnet is able to magnetically engage the leg magnet. It is contemplated that each of the leg members may include a leg magnet attached to or disposed within the lower end thereof, with the motor of the drive unit being mechanically coupled to a pair of drive magnets which are simultaneously reciprocally movable in the first and second magnet paths and magnetically cooperate with respective ones of the leg magnets.
In accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an animated toy comprising a toy body which itself comprises at least one shoulder member and an upper support strut which is pivotally connected to the shoulder member. Also included in the toy body is a pair of waist members, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the upper support strut. The toy body further comprises a pair of leg members, with the lower ends of the waist members being pivotally connected to the upper ends of respective ones of the leg members. In addition to the toy body, the animated toy of the fifth embodiment comprises a support base to which the lower ends of the leg members are pivotally connected. Also included in the animated toy of the fifth embodiment is a drive unit which is disposed adjacent to the support base and includes a motor which is cooperatively engaged to at least one of the leg members and operative to reciprocally tilt the leg members in first and second directions. The tilting of the leg members in the first direction causes the waist members to be tilted in the second direction, with the tilting of the leg members in the second direction causing the waist members to be tilted in the first direction.
In addition to the above-described components, the toy body of the fifth embodiment comprises a lower support strut which is pivotally connected to and extends between the upper ends of the leg members, a back trunk plate which is pivotally connected to the upper and lower support struts, and a front trunk plate which is pivotally connected to the shoulder member and the back trunk plate. A cam member is also included in a toy body which is attached. to the front trunk plate and movable therewith. In the animated toy of the fifth embodiment, the tilting of the leg members in the first direction causes the front and back trunk plates, and hence the cam member, to be tilted in the second direction, with the tilting of the leg members in the second direction causing the front and back trunk plates, and hence the cam member, to be tilted in the first direction.
The toy body of the animated toy of the fifth embodiment also includes a pair of arm members which are rotatably connected to the shoulder member and mechanically coupled to the cam member so as to be alternately movable in different directions thereby. More particularly, the arm members are mechanically coupled to the cam member such. that the tilting of the cam member in the first and second directions causes the arm members to alternately move in different directions. Also rotatably connected to the shoulder member is a head member of the toy body which is itself mechanically coupled to the cam member such that the tilting of the cam member in the first and second directions causes the head member to alternately rotate in different directions. The cam member preferably includes a central pair of cam levers and two outer pairs of cam levers which protrude from a common side thereof. Each of the arm members preferably includes an arm pin which protrudes therefrom, with the head member defining a central axis and including a head pin protruding therefrom in radially off-set relation to the central axis. The arm pin of each of the arm members extends between a respective outer pair of cam levers such that the tilting of the cam member in the first and second directions causes the outer pairs of cam levers to act against the arm pins in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the arm members in opposite directions. Similarly, the head pin extends between the central pair of cam levers such that the tilting of the cam member in the first and second directions causes the central pair of cam levers to act against the head pin in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the head member in opposite directions.
The toy body of the animated toy of the fifth embodiment defines opposite sides, with the leg member extending along one side of the toy body being mechanically coupled to the waist member extending along the other side thereof. In the fifth embodiment, the lower end of one of the waist members includes a first tilt rack portion formed thereon or attached thereto, with the upper end of one of the leg members including a second tilt rack portion formed thereon or attached thereto which is cooperatively engaged to the first tilt rack portion, and more particularly directly intermeshed thereto. The drive unit of the animated toy of the fifth embodiment is preferably mechanically coupled to the leg member having the second tilt rack portion formed thereon.